Although formal research has not been conducted, we are not aware of any publicised IT programme in the world that services 1.3 million staff with what is said by suppliers to be the largest virtual private network and largest single email service that underpins the complex technology to support electronic booking, electronic prescriptions, digital imaging and an electronic care record for 50 million patients. It is not known what the second largest civilian programme would be and it would be a disproportionate cost to the taxpayer to find out. Non-civilian IT programmes tend not to publicise their details.